Legend of the East
by Walker1127
Summary: <html><head></head>Otomo Sasaki has just finished his training and is determined to become the best hunter Yukumo Village ever had. With his friends by his side, they go on adventures and fight towering odds.</html>
1. Chapter 1

_**DISCLAIMER: **__The game "Monster Hunter" is created and owned by CAPCOM. All creatures, weapons, armors and etc. are credited to them. I am only writing this story for a good time and not for profit._

Chapter 1: Tremendous Odds

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Otomo-kun?" a girl groaned, adjusting her quiver.

"Of course we are!" Otomo replied, scanning the map.

He put down the map to look around him. They were in the middle of the wetlands; the insects glistened in the air as they flew around the tall grass. Gaguas pecked around for food, not minding the two hunters.

"The fork on the path's there." Otomo checked the map "Now what path leads to the waterfall…"

He looked at the map closely and took the left path, with the girl tailing behind him. They were correct; the waterfall was in front of them. The area was quiet and serene, not a single monster in sight.

"I'm hungry!" the girl whined.

"*sigh*…You're always hungry, Kaori-chan!" Otomo rolled his eyes.

Kaori just crossed her arms and pouted, then stuck her tongue out at Otomo.

"Look, if I cook you food. Then will you behave?"

"I want my steak well-done!" she replied with twinkling eyes.

Left with no choice, Otomo started to assemble his BBQ spit. Then, skewered two pieces of raw meat and placed it over the fire. Kaori sat beside Otomo, watching the fire glow and the meat sizzle.

"I know that our teacher told us that we'd be the perfect hunting team, but you're such a handful sometimes." Otomo complained, poking the meat to see if it's ready.

"Eh? I thought you liked taking care of me, Otomo-kun?" Kaori smirked.

"When did I ever say that!"

Kaori giggled at Otomo's expression and gave him a hug. Otomo's face turned red.

"Don't think that I don't appreciate what you're doing for me, Otomo-kun." she said in a tender voice "Thank you for taking care of me…"

Otomo didn't reply, but the smile on his face was answer enough. Kaori smiled back and let go of Otomo.

"Looks like they're ready…" Otomo removed the steaks from the fire.

They ate their steaks quietly. Otomo was facing Kaori as they ate; he sees something moving in the bushes behind her.

"What's wrong, Otomo-kun?"

"I could've sworn I saw something back there…"

"It's probably just your imagina—"

A roar came from the bushes, which startled Kaori. A huge blue bear came out, standing on its rear legs. Its forelegs were covered with a tough, brace and its back was protected by a thick carapace. It drooled as its tongue dangled out of its mouth.

"An Aoshi—"

Otomo covered Kaori's mouth and out his index finger in front of his lips.

"Don't make any sudden movements or loud noises. Or else it'll attack…"

The Aoshira roared and came down on all four legs. It charged towards the two hunters.

"Watch out!" Otomo pushed Kaori to the left as he jumped to the right.

It knocked over the BBQ spit as it came to a stop. It turned towards to Kaori, who was still on the ground. The Aoshira rose up and prepared to attack.

"No!" Kaori screamed, covering her eyes with her arms.

Just as the Aoshira was about to lunge at Kaori, Otomo dashed in front of it and swiped Kaori to safety.

"Are you alright?" Otomo asked.

Kaori just nodded and tried to smile. She was shivering and frightened.

"You're going to pay for scaring my friend!" Otomo yelled as he drew out his Iron Katana.

He charged at the Aoshira and swung his blade to the left. The Aoshira swiped with his claw and managed to catch the blade, making it bounce off. Otomo staggered at the force of the impact, leaving him open to an attack. The Aoshira did another swipe, but a volley of arrows hit it on the fore leg and made it flinch.

"Serves you right, meanie!" Kaori stuck her tongue out at the Aoshira.

Otomo regained his balance and took advantage while the Aoshira was distracted. He swung his blade down and hit the Aoshira's torso. He swung to the right and caught the Aoshira's brace, shattering it. The Aoshira fell down on the ground. As the Aoshira got up and started to limp away, Kaori pulled out a pink bottle from her bandoleer and used it on her arrows. She shot one and hit the Aoshira, leaving a pink color on its fur.

"Let's go after it!" Otomo said, picking up the shattered brace.

They followed the fine pink mist coming from the arrow that hit the Aoshira and led them to the woods. They looked around and saw the Aoshira, eating honey. Otomo whispered something to Kaori and she nodded. She unfolded her hunter's Bow and waited in the bushes.

"Yahhhhhhh!" Otomo charged at the Aoshira.

The Aoshira noticed Otomo, but instead of fighting it started to limp away again. Kaori quickly pulled out a yellow bottle from her bandoleer and used it. She shot three arrows at the Aoshira and it froze on the spot.

"Yay! My paralysis coating worked!" Kaori joyfully jumped up and down.

Otomo got behind the Aoshira. He planted a pitfall trap and took a few steps back. The effects of Kaori's arrows wore off and the Aoshira was enraged. It lunged with its claws, right into the pitfall trap. It fell down and Kaori threw two tranquilizer bombs to it, putting it to sleep.

"We…caught…our first monster…"a smile came to Otomo's face "We caught our first monster! Yes! We did it!" he joyfully jumped up and down.

"Now, how do we get it out of here?" Kaori said, with her index finger on her lower lip.

Otomo's joy parade came to a halt. He just realized it too; they caught a 400 pound bear.

"_How do we carry this thing?"_ he thought, with a dismayed look on his face.

"Nice catch ~nyan~!"

Otomo and Kaori turned around and saw a Felyne, riding a large cart.

"Where are you headed Mr. Cat?" Kaori asked in a sing-song tone.

"Yukumo Village ~nyan~."

"Hey, would you mind giving us a lift there? We don't have a cart for our Aoshira." Otomo explained.

"I don't know…" the Felyne said, rubbing his chin with his paw.

"I'll give you a Goldstone Piece in return."

"That's very generous of you, but just give me a Felvine and we'll be even ~nyan~"

Luckily, Otomo had some with him and they were able to get out of the Mountain Stream with the Aoshira they caught. The Aoshira took up most of the space at the back and Otomo insisted that he'd walk and Kaori would ride up front with the Felyne.

"You're so cute, Mr. Cat!" Kaori scratched the Felyne's ear.

"Ahh, it's been so long since someone scratched my ear like that…" the Felyne purred with his ears pointing down "Hey, before I forget. What are your names? ~nyan~"

"I'm Otomo Sasaki, a hunter from Shinjuten Village." Otomo said.

"I'm Kaori Yamada, I'm also a hunter from Shinjuten Village." Kaori smiled at the Felyne.

"My name's Keshi, I work as a delivery Felyne for Yukumo Village. It's nice to meet you two. ~nyan~" Keshi said "Anyway, why are you headed to Yukumo, may I ask? ~nyan~"

"Well, we just finished our hunter training and we're hoping to be hunters of Yukumo." Otomo said.

"Yeah! Since our village doesn't have a guild of their own, we wanna be the best Yukumo hunters the world has ever seen! Kaori raised both her arms in excitement.

"Well, hunters are always welcome at Yukumo Village! ~nyan~"

They finally made to Yukumo Village. They stopped by the blacksmith and Kaori got Aoshira armor and upgraded her Hunter's Bow.

"Eh? Why don't you have new armor, Otomo-kun?" Kaori asked.

"Maybe some other time. My armor's still good anyway."

They made their way to the elder. The elder was, surprisingly a young-looking woman. She sat elegantly underneath a maple tree.

"Elder-sama!" both of them bowed.

"My, my, I don't think I've seen your faces here before…where are you two from?"the elder asked in such a sweet tone.

"We come from Shinjuten Village, Elder-sama." Otomo replied.

"Ah, you must be here to become Guild hunters, am I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they both replied.

"Alright, I can see you're both very eager to begin so I shall give you your initiation quest."

She pulled out a scroll from her long sleeve and unrolled it.

"A gathering quest?" Kaori asked, looking at the scroll.

"Yes, this a request to gather 20 Unique Mushrooms from the Mountain Stream. Are you up for it?" the elder asked.

"YES!" they both looked very eager.

"Alright, just show the form to the Cart Felyne and he'll take you to the camp."

They took the form from the elder and prepared for the quest. They bought potions and whetstones. After that, they boarded the cart and left for their quest. The campsite was based on the highlands over-looking the mountains.

"Wow! The mountains look so pretty!" Kaori screamed with delight, seeing the majestic mountains draped in silver moonlight.

They grabbed the supplies from the blue box and ate their rations.

"Alright, let's go!" Otomo said.

They made their way to a mountain ridge and found some mushrooms. Kaori started to gather the mushrooms and Otomo guarded her back.

"Okay, I managed to get five here!" Kaori slipped the mushrooms into her bag.

They found a big patch of mushrooms in the woods, but a group of Jaggis was making it hard for them to get to it. Otomo brought down two Jaggis with one slash and Kaori managed to bring down three with her bow. Otomo stabbed with his blade and another two Jaggis went down.

"Alright, I'll carve them and you gather the mushrooms." Otomo pulled out his knife and got to work.

Kaori managed to get ten mushrooms from the big patch and Otomo managed to get a lot of hides, scales and fangs from the Jaggis they killed.

"We just need five more." Kaori said.

"Alright, I think there's some mushrooms growing in the wetlands." Otomo leaded the way.

The wetlands were completely deserted. There were more bugs flying around at night, glistening and sparkling like little stars. They found the mushroom patch and started to collect them.

"Alright, that should do it!" Kaori dropped the last mushrooms into her bag and closed it.

They were about to head back when Kaori noticed that the insects started to fly into one spot.

"That's weird. Otomo-kun, look!" she tugged on Otomo's _Dogi_ and pointed.

The insects flew around in one spot, swirling around like a cyclone of light. The ground started to tremble.

"I don't like this…" Otomo said.

An enormous silhouette appeared from afar, a faint blue glow was coming from it. As the silhouette drew closer, the insects became more and more erratic. Otomo's eyes widened as he saw the silhouette's true form. The monster was a gigantic wolf. It had horns, sharp claws, and a carapace running from its back to its armoured tail. Its fur was blue and sparks was coming from it. The entire monster glowed with power as the insects flew around it.

"This could be bad…" Otomo stepped in front of Kaori.

The monster stepped forward and gave a loud howl that made Otomo and Kaori cover their ears. The monster released a blinding white light and spikes shot out from its back. It spun on its front legs and jumped in the air.

"Get out of the way!" Otomo carried Kaori and ran for cover.

As the monster landed, it did a back flip towards the hunters and sent its armored tail crashing down. Otomo and Kaori jumped in opposite directions to avoid it. The monster was about to turn towards Kaori when Otomo threw a rock at it and caught its attention.

"Kaori-chan, run!" Otomo yelled

"No! I won't leave you!" she protested.

"We won't get away from this thing! I'll keep it busy!"

"But…"

"RUN!"

Kaori reluctantly ran and left Otomo to the mercy of the monster. Otomo drew his sword and prepared himself for a fight he wasn't sure he could win. The monster was fast, spinning on its front legs once again but Otomo managed to roll away from it.

"_He's fast…" _Otomo thought, regaining his footing.

The monster quickly turned towards Otomo and started to stomp its front legs, letting out a burst of electricity with each stomp. Otomo rolled out of the way and ended up behind the monster. He quickly went for the opening and slashed with his blade.

"_CLANG!"_

Otomo's eyes widened with surprise as his blade harmlessly bounced off the monsters rear leg. The monster spun on its front legs once again and hit Otomo with devastating force.

"Argh!" Otomo flew back like a thrown ragdoll.

He landed on the ground hard, violently rolling several times. He managed to stop himself by stabbing his blade on the ground. He coughed out a lot of blood and he was already gasping for his breath. He struggled to get up and went to his battle stance again.

"*gasp* *gasp*…At least…Kaori escaped…" he wiped blood away from his lips.

The monster charged again and swiped with his claws. Otomo dodged and managed to attack at the same time. He managed to hit the monster's unarmored torso, but it didn't stop it from attacking. Otomo kept dodging the monster's attacks, but he was getting exhausted and he got swiped by its claw. Otomo's_ Kasa_ was shattered and his _Dogi _and _Kote _were torn to shreds. He fell to one knee, supported by his sword.

"_I can't go on like this…" _he thought.

The monster charged at Otomo. As the monster came barreling down towards Otomo, a small projectile hit it and exploded. A disgusting stench billowed out of the projectile and the monster went berserk. The monster retreated back into the shadows.

"Otomo-kun!" Otomo recognized the voice that was calling to him.

He struggled to get up and turned around. It was Kaori, and two Felynes pulling a cart behind them. Otomo started to limp towards Kaori, but soon he dropped his sword and fell unconscious. Luckliy, Kaori managed to catch him and lays him on the ground safely.

"Kaori-chan…" Otomo mumbled.

Morning came…

Otomo regained consciousness. He got up from bed and looked around. He was only in his inner clothing. Since his _Kasa _and _Dogi _was destroyed during the fight, only his _Obi _and _Hakama _remained on him. Kaori slept peacefully at his bedside, her face buried in her arms.

"Mmmnnmnmn…" Kaori woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

She was surprised when she saw Otomo sitting up and smiling at her.

"Ahh…you're awake! How are you feeling, Otomo-kun?"

"I'm fine, Kaori-chan. But where are we?"

"We're at the Guild Inn. I brought you here when you fainted."

"Wait, the Guild Inn? Does that mean…"

Kaori smiled at Otomo and nodded.

"We passed, Otomo-kun! We're now Yukumo hunters!"

Otomo could barely contain his happiness. He started to jump on the bed like a little kid. He jumped down and gave Kaori a hug.

"O-Otomo-kun…I can't…breathe…"

"Ehehehe…sorry about that." Otomo said, letting go of her.

Kaori caught her breath and fixed herself up.

"Oh right, Elder-sama said to see her as soon as you woke up!" she remembered.

They geared up and left the room. The elder was still underneath the maple tree, sipping tea.

"Elder-sama!" they bowed.

"Oh, I've been expecting you two." the elder put down her teacup and pulled out two small hexagonal badges from her sleeve "Here you go."

Otomo and Kaori each took a hexagonal badge. It was made of pure silver and the crest of the Yukumo Village was engraved onto it.

"You are now full-fledged Yukumo hunters. You are free to choose any quest that is available." the elder explained "Finish 50 quests and you'll be given a test to join the Guild."

Otomo and Kaori's faces lit up, seeing their badges. Kaori pinned hers on her mail. Since Otomo's armor was destroyed, he pinned it on his _Obi_ for the time being.

"Oh, plus a little bonus for the trouble you went through." the elder handed them a small bag of money "The Jinouga is an exceptionally tough monster. It is hard to fight it as a group, let alone by yourself…"

"The Jinouga?" Otomo and Kaori went.

"The gigantic monster you fought in the wetlands. You are one of the few who actually survived an encounter with it."

"Well, I didn't actually survive on my own. Kaori-chan came back and got me out of the situation just in time." Otomo smiled at Kaori, who smiled back at him.

"Well, either way. The Jinouga is a high-class monster and should only be dealt with by high-class hunters. Its appearance was not expected."

Otomo and Kaori went to the blacksmith after talking with the elder. Otomo got a new _Kasa_, _Dogi_ and _Kote_ with the bonus money they got.

"Why not get something better, Otomo-kun?" Kaori asked.

"Ahh, this is fine." Otomo put on his _Kasa._

After that, they went to the hot springs located inside the Guild Inn. They put on towels and slipped into the warm, relaxing water to try and unwind after their first quest.

"Ahh, this feels great…" Kaori sighed.

"Nothing beats a nice, hit dip after almost getting killed…" Otomo stretched and relaxed.

They sat facing each other.

"Thanks for coming back for me, Kaori-chan." Otomo said.

"It's no problem. We're a team aren't we?" Kaori splashed Otomo with some water.

"Yeah, the best team ever!" Otomo smiled and splashed back.


	2. New Friends

Chapter 2: New Friends

It's been a month since Otomo and Kaori have become hunters for Yukumo Village. Every day, they have been working hard to finish 50 quests to become a Guild hunter.

"Which quest should we take?" Otomo asked, looking through the board.

"How about this one!" Kaori yanked a request from the board and handed it to Otomo.

It was a Great Jaggi slaying quest in the Sandy Plains. It seemed simple enough for the two of them to handle and the reward was good.

"Alright, this seems pretty straightforward. Let's do it!"

Otomo handed the flier to The Elder and obtained the quest form.

"The best of luck to the both of you." The Elder smiled at them tenderly.

Otomo and Kaori headed to the Cart Felynes stationed across the bridge.

"To the Sandy Plains base camp, please." Otomo showed the Cart Felyne their form and they boarded the cart.

It was excruciatingly hot in the Sandy Plains. The base camp was built underneath the shade of an over-hanging cliff, but the heat was still unbearable.

"*groan* It's so hot!" Kaori complained, getting off the cart.

"It's not a called a _desert_ for nothing…"Otomo replied, snickering.

Kaori pouted and threw a paintball at Otomo.

They gathered what they needed from the supply box, drank their cool drinks and headed out into the blazing desert.

The sun was harshly beating down on the two hunters. The valley was quiet, a herd of Rhenoplos grazing on the little growing grass in the area. The dry wind kicked up dust clouds, blurring anything in the distance.

"You know the old plan, get to cover." Otomo instructed Kaori.

Kaori nodded. She unfolded her bow and took cover behind a huge boulder.

Otomo took a slab of raw meat and placed on the ground. He looked around to see if nothing is watching them and retreated to the same boulder.

A few hours has passed. The sun grew hotter and the valley was completely deserted. The wind howled through the mountains, kicking up bigger clouds of dust.

"It's so hot!" Kaori face was beaded with sweat.

"Here, drink another cool drink." Otomo handed her a bottle.

Kaori took the bottle and drunk the whole thing in one swig. "It's not gonna show of we wait here. We should be out there hunting it do—"

A faint stomping sound is echoing from inside the dark cave in front of the boulder where the two hunters are hiding.

Otomo peeked from behind the boulder to see what was making the sound. He could see a silhouette of a creature slowly coming out of the darkness. A reptilian creature came out from the shadows; its ferocious snout lined with razor sharp teeth, its leathery hide was a blend of purple and orange, sharp claws that gleam like black steel, and a frill that marks it as a leader.

"There's our target…" Otomo whispered to Kaori "Wait for it to come for the meat, and then shoot it."

Kaori nodded and notched a paralysis-tipped arrow into her bow.

The Great Jaggi sniffed the air, in search of the source of the alluring aroma. It cautiously approached the slab of meat, glancing side to side before sniffing it. It decided that the meat was safe and started to devour it.

"NOW!"Otomo ran out of cover and unsheathed his Iron Katana.

Kaori stood up from behind the boulder and sent the arrow flying towards the Great Jaggi's thigh. The creature growled in pain, and crumpled in as the toxin froze every muscle in its body.

Otomo brought his Iron Katana straight down onto the Great Jaggi's head, breaking its skull and leaving a deep cut across its snout.

Blood trickled onto the sand as the Great Jaggi started to lose strength. It gave out one last roar before collapsing to the ground, its life leaving its body behind.

"That was easier than I thought…" Kaori said, folding up her bow.

"Yeah, good job with the arrow." Otomo smiled, patting Kaori on the head.

"Geez, don't treat me like a kid…" Kaori pouted.

Otomo gave a soft laugh.

After carving off materials from the dead Jaggi, the two hunters headed back to camp. There were no other creatures roaming around as they headed back, only an eerie silence loomed over the place.

"It's so quiet…" Rin said.

"Maybe our hunt scared them off—"

A loud roar came from the valley, followed by the unmistakable sound of clanking metal plates.

Otomo and Kaori stood side by side, weapons ready.

A hunter came into their view. His armor was all dented and trashed as he frantically ran from a huge pillar of sand flying after him. The pillar caught up with the hunter and swept him off his feet, hurling him into the air.

"Look out!" Otomo grabbed Kaori by the arms and jumped out of the way.

The hunter crashed beside them, parts of his trashed armor flying everywhere. His black spiky hair had clumps of mud and twigs in it. Blood trickled out from a cut underneath his right eye. His armor was too damaged to identify, it had numerous dents and teeth marks on them. His weapon, a Switch Axe, was dulled out and badly chipped in some parts of the blade.

"Looks like he's hurt bad…" Kaori lifted the hunter's head off the ground.

"What in the world was after him?" Otomo pulled out a potion and made the hunter drink it.

The pillar of sand cleared and revealed the creature after the fallen hunter.

It towered over the hunters, its body covered in mud. The ground shook as its massive legs stomped down. Its fangs were stone gray and crusted with mud. But its most distinguishing characteristic was its head, covered in a huge tough crown.

"I-is that a…" Rin stammered.

"A Barroth…" Otomo confirmed.

The Barroth roared, shaking Otomo and Kaori off their feet. It shook its body, flinging huge clumps of mud everywhere.

"We have to get out of here!" Otomo carried the unconscious hunter over his shoulders and ran.

Kaori picked up the damaged Switch Axe and followed closely behind.

The Barroth roared even louder and gave chase; each step it took sent tremors through the ground.

Kaori tried to slow the Barroth down by shooting at it, but her arrows bounced of the huge crown covering the monster's head. They were slowing down with the heat starting to beat down on them.

"We're…not…going…to…make…it…" Kaori tried to keep up as the dry desert air evaporated all of the moisture in her throat.

"Just…a little…more…" Otomo tried to motivate Kaori, but he too was gasping for breath as he carried the unconscious hunter.

Otomo struggled trying to maintain his balance, but his feet gave way from exhaustion.

He fell face first into the sand. The unconscious hunter fell beside him, the contents of his bag spilling onto the ground.

The Barroth loomed over them, preparing to finish off its prey.

"Otomo-kun!" Kaori turned and ran back for her fallen friend.

"_It looks like it's the end for me…" _Otomo thought, staring at the Barroth's massive jaws.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed a small gray object that fell from the unconscious hunter's bag. He carefully reached for it, hoping not to provoke the looming monster to attack. It was a sphere about the size of Otomo's palm. There was a thin metal ring attached to a small metal stub, a trigger.

"_Man, I hate using these…_" Otomo mused, throwing the object in the air and catching it again.

Otomo still remembered the first time in training when their teacher gave them three of these balls. It was a vital hunting tool, used to disorient monsters dependent on their hearing. The sharp deafening squeal it made when it went off was unbearable for Otomo.

As the Barroth lunged in for the death blow, Otomo pulled the pin off the Sonic Bomb and threw it straight to the monster's face.

The bomb went off with an ear-shattering squeal that made the Barroth go nuts. The monster's head shot back and it started to spin in circles, trying to stop the ringing in its ears.

"Come on, before it attacks again!" Kaori urged Otomo.

Otomo picked up the unconscious hunter and threw him over his shoulder. With what little strength he has left, Otomo ran for the base camp with Kaori following closely behind.

"What in the world happened to the two of you! ~nyan~" one of the Cart Felynes exclaimed, seeing Otomo and Kaori's horrible state.

"And who's that you're carrying? ~nyan~" the other Cart Felyne jumped out of his seat and helped Otomo load the unconscious hunter in the back of the cart.

"We don't know who, but he's hurt badly from hunting a Barroth…" Otomo climbed in the cart and helped Koari up.

"We have to get him to the Guild Inn fast! ~nyan~" both felynes got on the front seat and agitated the Gaguas to run at full speed.

Otomo and Kaori waited outside the Guild Infirmary while the village doctor tended to the wounded hunter.

After an hour, the doctor came out of the room, his wrinkly forehead beaded with sweat.

"Will he be alright, doctor?" Kaori asked, jumping out of her seat and landing uncomfortably close to the doctor.

"He has a few cuts and bruises, some broken ribs. He'll be fine in a few days." The doctor pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead "All he needs now is rest. So please, visit him tomorrow."

Otomo and Kaori left the Infirmary to collect their reward from the Elder.

"I wonder what was he doing out there hunting the Barroth alone?" Rin placed her hands behind her back and looked up at the falling maple leaves.

"More importantly, who is he?" Otomo chimed in, tying the reward bag to his waist.

Otomo and Kaori went to the Guild to try and identify the hunter. They approached Konaha and Sasayu, the Guild attendants.

"Hmm…a Barroth hunting quest?" Konaha pondered "I think, yes, no, wait, maybe. Ah, Sasayu, can you check the records for a Barroth quest?"

"Already on it, sis." Sasayu got out a bunch of scrolls and started to browse through them.

Konaha and Sasayu were identical twins; the only thing that could tell them apart was their clothes. Konaha wore a pink Guild uniform while her sister wore a sky blue one.

"There's nothing in our records about a Barroth Quest. Have you tried asking Elder-sama?" Sasayu arranged the scrolls in a neat pile beside her.

"Of course! Gah! I'm such an idiot!" Otomo grabbed Kaori's hand and ran out of the Guild "Thank you!" he called out to the twin attendants.

The Elder was in her usual spot underneath the maple tree at the foot of the stairs leading to the Guild House. She had a cup of tea and a plate of rolls set beside her.

"Elder-sama! Elder-sama!" Otomo and Kaori almost fell in their haste.

"My, my, you two are in a hurry." the Elder sipped her tea "Would you like to join me for tea?" she picked up a small ceramic teapot.

Otomo and Kaori respectfully declined. They asked the Elder about any hunters taking a Barroth hunting quest.

"Ah yes, thank you for pulling Shen out of harm's way. He's a good hunter, but he's a little over his head sometimes."

"Shen?" Kaori repeated.

"Yes, he's one hell of a troublemaker. Pain in the ass to be with." someone said from behind.

Otomo and Kaori turned around, surprised to see a hunter standing behind them.

He was wearing Froggi armor. His mask covered all but his cruel black eyes. A pair of Saw Slicer duals was crossed on his lower back.

"You should've just let the Barroth take him out." the hunter laughed.

"Tetsuo, that is enough out of you." the Elder said sternly.

Tetsuo raised his hands, pretending to be innocent. He turned to Otomo and extended his hand.

"The name's Tetsuo Yasundai, nice to meet ya."

"I'm Otomo Sasaki—" Otomo shook Tetsuo's hand "—and this is Kaori Yamada." he gestured to Kaori who was behind him.

"Thanks for saving my team mate. I told him not to do anything stupid while I was away, but it seems he can't even do that…"

Otomo and Kaori couldn't help but smirk.

"Anyway, I was on my way to pay him a visit. You two should come along so he could thank you properly…"

Otomo and Kaori agreed.

Surely enough, Shen was upright on his bed when they got there. His arm and torso was bandaged and the cut under his right eye was stitched up.

He noticed Tetsuo, Otomo and Kaori by the door.

"Ah, Tetsuo-senpai!"

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Tetsuo sat down beside the bed.

"A little better, but it's kinda hard to breathe." Shen rubbed his bandaged chest "Ah, who are they?" he pointed to Otomo and Kaori who were still standing by the door.

"Who are they? Oh, just the two hunters who risked their lives to save _your _sorry hide!"

"What! I thought _two _cute girls saved me! Not _a _cute girl and some guy!"

"I don't like this guy…" Otomo's eyes narrowed.

"He thinks I'm cute?" Kaori blushed.

"That _some _guy carried your sorry hide all the way back to camp! And to the Guild infirmary! Show some gratitude!" Tetsuo smacked Shen in the back of the head so hard he fell out of bed.

"Do I have to? It's seems so much work!" Shen complained.

Tetsuo jumped on Shen and put him in a headlock.

"Unless you want a broken neck to go along with all that injuries, I suggest you comply with what I said!"

"Alright! Alright! But I can't with you choking my airways like this!" Shen yelped, trying to pry Tetsuo's huge arms off around his neck.

Shen got up, rubbing the back of his neck. He faced Otomo and Kaori.

"Thanks for saving me, miss…" he bowed.

"You're welcome!" Kaori smiled.

"I should've left you there to die." Otomo said monotonously.

"I'm Shen Mastumoto, and I am in your debt, miss."

"I'm Kaori Yamada—" Kaori bowed "-and this is my friend Otomo Sasaki!" she gestured to Otomo.

"I should've let the Barroth take you."

Shen collected his things from the Infirmary and headed for the Guild Inn. Since his armor was badly damaged during the fight with the Barroth, every step he took made a crunching sound and tiny bits of iron would fall in a trail behind him.

"Man, I'm lucky to have gotten out alive…" he said, inspecting his armor "Thanks again!"

"No problem!" Kaori gave Shen a thumbs-up.

"I should've dropped you when I had the chance…" Otomo sighed.

Shen, Otomo, Kaori, and Tetsuo made their way to the blacksmith.

The blacksmith was an old diminutive man. Even for his old age, the blacksmith was very burly, able to hold up his great hammer with only one hand.

"What in the world happened to you!" the blacksmith dropped his huge hammer in surprise.

"Long story…" Shen sighed, taking off his trashed armor.

"Well, it's not the first time I had to deal with this from you…" the blacksmith sighed and took the armor "And what about you two?" he turned to Otomo and Kaori.

"Jaggi armor. For the both of us." Otomo handed over a sack of materials and some money.

"Alright, come back a little later and you can get them." The blacksmith disappeared into the forges.

After dropping off what remains of Shen's armor, the four hunters went to the Guild Hall to sit down and get something to eat.

"So…" Otomo took a sip of his Bokobo Cola "When are you planning to hunt it down?"

"What?" Shen said, devouring a sweet bun.

"The Barroth. Don't tell me you've given up on it?"

"…" Shen looked down at the plate of sweet buns, unable to reply.

"Well, out armor's should be done by now…" Otomo stood up "Kaori and I will be hunting the Barroth down tomorrow. You and Tetsuo-san can join us if you like. Come on Kaori-chan, let's go…"

Kaori stood up and bid the two hunters farewell.

They picked up their Jaggi armor and quickly changed into them.

"Perfect fit." Otomo strapped on the last vambrace and nodded in content.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh, Otomo-kun?" Kaori asked, adjusting her quiver.

Otomo just smiled and shook his head. He raised three fingers to Kaori.

"3"

He put down one finger.

"2"

He put down another one.

"1"

He pointed to the stairs of the Guild inn, Shen and Tetsuo was running down like mad. They stopped short of colliding into Otomo and Kaori.

"Count…*pant*…us…*pant*…in!" Shen was bent over, his face red from the running.

"I knew you'd make the right decision…" Otomo looked smug.

"It's about time I got even with it!" Shen clenched his fist.

Tetsuo gave a contented nod.

"Well, you'll need this if you want to hunt that Barroth down." Kaori handed Shen his hunter's Mail.

Shen put on his gear and got the feel of it once more. Surprisingly, it felt a lot more rigid. The steel was shining as if brand new.

"I'm pretty sure that it won't break anymore like last time. Not with all the Armor Spheres I used on it…" the blacksmith emerged from the forges.

"Armor Spheres? I didn't give you any—"

His eyes trailed to Otomo and Kaori, who were just smiling at him.

"It was Kaori-chan's idea…" Otomo said, patting the little huntress on the head.

"I will never forget your kindness!" Shen bowed.

"But it was Otomo-kun who mined those spheres." Kaori teasingly elbowed Otomo's gut.

Shen wanted to say something, but Otomo stopped him and just smiled.

"Alright then, we should rest for tomorrow." Tetsuo suggested.

The four hunters returned to the Guild Inn and retired to their rooms.

Otomo and Kaori walked to their rooms, which are next to one another.

"Otomo-kun?" Kaori stood in front of her door.

"What?" Otomo stood in front of his door as well.

"Do you think we'll be able to bring the Barroth down? We've never hunted anything so huge before."

"With the four of us, I'm sure that we'll be fine." Otomo sounded confident.

"But what if what happened last time happened again? I don't think that—"

Otomo wrapped his arms around Kaori, pulling her in for a hug.

"If what happened happens again, I'll be there to protect you…" his voice was calm and soothing.

"Really?"

"I promise." Otomo pat Kaori on the head "After all, we're the best team ever, right?" he smiled.

"Yeah! We are!" Kaori smiled back.


End file.
